INDIANAPOLIS – A new and larger neonatal
intensive care unit has been reborn at Franciscan St. Francis
Health-Indianapolis.
The new unit – the only Level III NICU in south-central Indiana – recently moved to a new location within
the hospital, marking the first phase of a $37 million expansion project of the
Women & Children’s Center.
“Sometimes, unexpected situations and extra care is necessary for
newborns even in the healthiest of pregnancies,” said Lori Warner, director of Women &
Children’s Services. “Our NICU is for
babies who need special medical attention after they are born, and sometimes,
may have to stay a few days longer after their mother is discharged. We provide
the latest technology in monitoring with an entire staff specially trained in
caring for high-risk infants.”
The revamped NICU has 24 private rooms,
each having a couch which easily can be converted into a bed. A nearby private
lounge offers shower/bath facilities and refreshments for parents.
“We offer a unique service to increase parents’ confidence and ease the
transition from the hospital to home,” said Warner. “Near the end of the
infant’s stay, parents and their infants may room-in together and can learn
confidently how to care for their baby after discharge from our round-the-clock
nursing staff.”
When parents are away from the hospital, they can use remote monitoring,
via their computers and mobile devices, to watch their babies.
The unit is entirely family-focused. “Virtual
Visitation” allows siblings, out-of-town relatives and friends the opportunity
to be introduced to the baby by parents.
Led by medical director Paul
D. Winchester, MD, the NICU
team has developed a robust program in caring for the sickest and most high-risk
infants at the Franciscan St. Francis’ Indianapolis and Mooresville campuses.
Another
significant phase of the overall project will be unveiled Dec. 4 with the
opening of a new pediatrics wing. The fourth-floor unit includes nine private
rooms and a staff of highly experienced, pediatric-certified nurses.
Additionally,
the Pediatrics Services program offers outpatient IV and infusion services, a
specialty clinic, lab testing, physical, occupational and speech therapy and a
range of behavioral health and psychology services.
Other
milestones loom on the horizon over the next year, particularly in obstetrical
care:
·
7 triage rooms and an infusion area for newly
admitted patients
·
12 expanded labor and delivery rooms
·
8 large antepartum suites with in-room
refrigerators
·
2 operating room suites for caesarean
procedures
·
34 postpartum suites and a nursery
“Throughout life, women have many questions about how best to
manage their health and that of their families, particularly when they are
expecting the birth of a child,” said Warner. “We offer a full range of women's health care
services, from yearly checkups and prenatal care, to specialized gynecologic
care.”
When the Women & Children’s Services project is
completed, patients and visitors entering the first-floor lobby will have easy
access to Women’s Health Services offices, massage therapy, Maternal/Fetal
Medicine, Pelvic Health Services and an Outpatient Lactation Consultation
Clinic.
